


Music

by mistrali



Category: Provost's Dog - Tamora Pierce, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: F/M, Ficlet, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-03
Updated: 2013-07-03
Packaged: 2017-12-17 13:33:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/868133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistrali/pseuds/mistrali
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beka discovers something unexpected about Rosto.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Music

_Noon on the 26th day of June, 246 H.E._

Our mornings teach me the most surprising things about my friends; I did not know Rosto was a Piper in truth. We all goggled like cracknobs, except Aniki and Kora, when he took out a little wooden flute and played a long, sweet note.

"I'll play a love song for you, Aniki," Rosto said in a falsely deep voice. He took her hand and kissed it with such a Player's bow that Ersken giggled. "And Cooper. In case you feel slighted." He winked at me, and I will not lie, it sent a tingle down my back, though I scowled at him so he didn't suspect. He played a bit for us, some common bawdy songs and then a pretty little Scanran thing that Kora hummed along to. Then Verene joined in when he started to play a song about a sailor landing ashore to find his lady-love's run off with the blacksmith.

"Do that one about the spintry and the noble lady," suggested Aniki, clapping along with the rest of us when Rosto stopped to gobble a sausage turnover and gulp some lemon twilsey.

But he shook his head and put away his flute in its blue cloth wrap."Where'd you learn, anyway?" asked Ersken, thoughtful-like. "You don't seem the type for music, if you'll forgive me."

"Oh, I picked it up here an' there. A bit at my ma's knee and th' rest with the Scanran Rogue," said Rosto, starting on a bread roll and some cheese. "I'd tell you how I won this here flute, but Cooper'll hobble me for it, won't you, my mouse?"

"I'm not your mouse or anyone else's," I said, though Mithros only knew how I managed to look him in the face for more than the few breaths it took to say it. Rosto just grinned and stretched out next to me, with his long legs sprawled next to mine. Then he reached over and kissed me on the mouth. For the second time that day my knees felt like water. And my sarden friends sat there grinning and cackling like pigeons. Kora actually whistled. I do not think she or Aniki will mind my canoodling him, which makes me easier in my mind. I'd not be the type of mot who loses friends over a cove, never mind a rusher who might be Rogue one day.

"Traitors, the whole ducknobbed lot of you," I panted, when I got my breath back. "You too. You should've clawed him," I said to my idiot cat, who had scampered back in and was busily cleaning himself.

_My claws are too valuable to blunt on overlarge Rats_ , replied Pounce, _and you didn't seem to object this time around, either_. I think Ersken heard, because he smiled; if the others noticed my cat's backtalk, they kept quiet.

 


End file.
